“So, how much of that was improvised?”

Here at the Hideout Theatre we specialize in what we like to called improvised narratives. To us, that means full stories, or basically what look like improvised plays. They may often have a strong genre influence like our Improvised Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, or Alfred Hitchcock-style shows. Usually, our Saturday 8pm show is an improvised narrative.

One comment/question we often receive after a show is,

“How much of that was improvised?”

As an audience member, I can understand how at times it could seem, well, pre-planned. But when we say we do improv, we mean it. We actually like not knowing what’s going to happen.

Sure, we have rehearsals. We have to study Dickens before we can do a story in his style. We have to figure out how to do British accents, what the language and slang is like, how people acted towards one another and what jobs they typically held. Our genre shows take a lot of research.

In a scripted play similar research may be done by the actors and director, but usually in terms of specific parts. In improv rehearsals we all study as widely as possible. Then, the goal is to get onstage and let it all go.

At that point, wracking your brain for characters or scenarios you read about or did in rehearsal is only going to take you out of the moment. Stop focusing for one second and you’ve missed a line of dialog, an instance of action.

Also, plan too much and you won’t surprise yourself. And for me, surprising myself is one of the biggest joys I get from improv. I would never plan to play a psycho killer that thrives on affection, but when the show starts going in that direction, I follow. And who knew I could choke someone onstage, or have such hysterical fits?

The challenge is invigorating. I’d rather not know I was going to play that part going into the show. Then I’m truly acting and thinking on my feet, making discoveries at the exact same time the character makes discoveries. Actively acting.

Some Hideout level one improv students spoke with me earlier this week. They’re in the very beginning of their education and they try and soak up as much improv as they can, which we encourage. (Ask questions, please. We love it!)

They said, “How much of that did you plan beforehand, come on, you can tell us.”

I couldn’t help but giggle. There are no dirty secrets, no backstage scripts. We’re honestly not tricking you.

Unless the show has some set characters beforehand (like the upcoming production of the 1950s sit-com The Andersons) all we know is that we’re going to tell a Hitchcock-style story. We’re going to get a location, start in that location, and see where the story takes us from there. We study story structure, we hope to be good at telling a satisfying story in the moment, but planning is never inspiring. We don’t know who is going to play what character, we might know who could play the leads and who could play support (something we try to switch off doing, both are really fun roles in an improv show), but for the most part, we like to see what happens.

No tricks, just training, research, practice, and ensemble work.

We mess up all the time, just sometimes we’re better at hiding it.

Come see us create a completely improvised play right before your eyes every weekend. We invite you to enjoy our successes as well as our mistakes. It’s all in a night’s improv.

Kaci Beeler
Hideout Performer and Director of Design